News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-03-03

and why, was startled. 1t was not
many days before Mrs. Rogers cleared
up the mystery for me.
81 was bound Il git to the bottom of
the whole story afore said word to
you she chuckled. You don't remem-
Der. now, do you, what letters you keep
in the top bureau drawer up in the
front chamber7"
"Lettersr' gasped Mrs Buttles
Mrs. Rogers nodded. "Yes, letters.
Now, if you won't lisp a word
wouldn have it come from me for no
money, for 1 never backbite; but this it
just too mean to keep. Sally Pepper
now this is between us-Sally Pepper,
she read some of them ere letters the
night of the donation"
"Read them!n
''Read 'eml" echoed Mrs Rogers. 81
should say she did; an as nothing but
| grim death d keep her tongue still, she
told what she d read, an l guess some
more. There be folks as curious as she
| is liyin', an so she was asked how she
| knew SO much; an then, there being no
way to crawl out of it, she said she read
letter she found up stairs in your
house on the floor. That how she
found out that you come nigh leaving
DR.. Buttles, an lots more l forgit, but
| she tells more'n was ever put into one
| letter.
Mrs. Buttles and myself went over
| those letters, which were some that she
wrote me after we had left Betsey's
| Corners, while she was at her fathers
house, much to that old gentleman's
disgust, and 1, anxiously in search of a
parish, was preaching at Three River
Point for my board. We found one in
which Mary Jane, who is always full of
hope, wrote me in this wise: ''Don't
you remember that once you thought |
was going to leave you for always2 but
that came out all right, and this will"
| The once she referred to was an illness,
when even the doctor shook his head,
and no one but N .ry Jane herself thought
she would recover.
''This is one of the letters" said Mrs
Buttles. "rm sure l never put it up
folded such way. I'm going to burn
every letter there is in the house"
suggested that box with paddock
would be secure, and that l disliked to
distroy all these sou enirs of our youth.
''There's nothing safe from all-seeing
eyes of this parish" she cried, in fearful
anger, and piling the letters up in the
stove. GAS long as we live, and you
preach, Uriah, were liable to have o'ca-
sions, and just such works."
Not long sgo, at one of the deacons'
meetings which are held monthly at nv
house, Deacon Screwys began talking
about the financial affairs of the church,
md concluded his remarks by saying:
They'll be sight Nv back salary agin
this year, DR.. Buttles an, in my 'pinion,
we can't do better'n to have Jest sech n
o'casion's we had last year. Ye know
what Irefer tew-yer last donation"
Deacon Bulge is the quiet one in our
quartette of deacons; silent and timid
man, he is singularly resolute and obsti-
nate when reused, and he Immediately
began pulling at his whiskers, which is
his way of commencing n speech. "My
breetheren, he said mildly, 'Ive stood
a heap of things | hadn't ort o., sence
We been deacon. 'Mong EN- IS fish
pon's, an grab bags, an ring cakes, an
poppy shows in the meetin' house an
donations. Now, eff anybody wants ter |
give DIR. Buttles suthin' cause they love i
him, I'm agreeable; but when the mem |
bers air slack in payin' his pizen little
salary, an resolve ter 60 swarmin' inter
his house like reg lar tornado, breeth-
ERIN, ter poster Miss Buttles, an break
the furnitoor, and fetch a mess Nv
truck they don want an can't sell, an
make him take it instead of the money
he's ARMED, an needs as the father of a
family, they amt a doin' right, an
when they call it a donation they're
lynn, an hereafter kin count on my
maxim fuss The deacon painfully
rubbed his wrinkled forehead with his
bandanna, and looked at his brother
deacOns. Of the finest and rarest type
OF Chrisasn character, no one commands
such respectful attention as the quiet
deacon when he chooses to speak; and,
after few moments of almost breath
less silence, he continued: 'The Lord
hez blessed us abundantly, breetheren,
an there amt mite of an excuse fur
our goin' inter any doodlin' an shilly-
shally way Nv raisin money fur His
house and His service. l amt talkin'
man but, eff We begin any sech doin's ez
we he'd last year, shell make it plain
ter everybody Jest W. at it is. Eff the
parson an Miss Buttles wants US to tea,
they'll ask us, an if they want a party,
they IL say so, but eff the church want
an OCCASION they kin hev it in the meetin'-
house parlors, an pay fur their own
coal, an clean up their own muss, but
as longs my name Nathaniel Bulge. |
an Pm deacon this church don't give |
no more donations to raise the salary. |
I've put up with sight, but / sha'n't
put up with this ag'in-tho donation
business's ended. "-ChriStiGn Union.